Coin-controlled mechanism for vending machines



J. R. NOLAN COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING IACHINES July 3, 1928.

' 2 Sheets-sheaf Original Filed April 8, 1924 July 3, 1928.

.I. R. NOLAN c0111 comouan 11110111111511 FOR vsimma IACHIRBS o'fi gmi r1194 April 8, 1924 2 SheetsfSheet 2' Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN B. NOLAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' COIN-CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES.

Original application filed April 8, 1924, Serial No. 704,922. Divided and this application filed April 23, 1925, Serial No. 25,215. Renewed November 2, 1927.

This invention relates to coin-controlledoperating devices tor the article delivering element of a vending machine, such, for

example, as illustrated in my co-pending ap-" plication Serial No. 704,922, filed April 8, 1924:, of which the present application is a division.

The main object of the invention is to provide simple, inexpensive and durable 1 mechanism manually operable, with ease and certainty, to actuatethe'article delivery element when and only when a proper coin is supplied to the mechanism. Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

The invention, in the preferred form illustrated, is associated with a rotary article delivery device, and comprises a manuallyoperative rotary coin-receiving member and novel locking and releasin including a ratchet whee? operatively connected with the delivery device. The coin receiving member is resiliently connected with the ratchet wheel to permit limited relative movement therebetween. A pawl member normally in interlocking engagement with the wheel prevents abnormal forward, as well as retrograde movement of the wheel. This pawl is releasable from' the wheel by the opposing action of a projecting coin in said member when the latter is initially rotated, thus permitting the continued manual rotation of the coin-receiving memberand the ratchet wheel to effect the discharging operation of the delivery device.

The invention also comprises a novel construction and arrangement of the coin chute in relation to the coin-receiving member; a

novel arrangement of the locking and releasing devices in. relation to a rotary article struct-ion and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar section through the rotary delivery device, and adjuncts, show ing the device as partly turned to engage the lowermost article contained in the magazme.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the delivdevices therefor,.

delivery device, and other features of con-.

a vending machine embodying the features ery device farther advanced and illustrating its ejecting action.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the delivery device, its shaft and the ratchet wheel.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the associated coin receiving disk and coin chute as removed from the ratchet wheel, showing the turning knob, in section, as detached.

Fig. 6 is a similar-view of the locking and releasing pawl.

Fig, 7 is a view of the coin disk and ratchet wheel, together with the locking and releasing pawl for the latter, showing the relation of the parts the instant the pawl is disengaged from the wheel by the action of the coin in the disk, and indicating, by dotted lines, the position of the shouldered portions of the delivery device. 7

Fig. Sis a similar view looking at the. opposite side of the coin disk and ratchet wheel, showing the ratchet wheel as released and as initiall advanced by the spring.

Fig. 9 is a orizontal section through the associated coin disk and ratchet wheel, and their adjuncts.

Referring to the drawings, 12 designates a suitable casing, 26 an article-containing magazine therein, and 34 a delivery device mounted beneath the magazine so as to support the contents of the latter. The form of delivery device. herein illustrated is a rotary element fast on a shaft 33 mounted in the lower portion of the casing. This element comprises a cylindrical body having peripheral fiat portions 35 extending transversely thereof, and also circumferential projections 37 presenting impelling shoulders 38 each of which is adapted to engage an article, such as a match book 39', seated on the adjacent flat portion, when the delivery device is properly rotated. Each projection extends from the shoulder through an eccentric are which merges with the periphery .of the cylindrical body, thus provid ing a circumferential wedge-like rib that trails the adjacent flatportion of the device when it is turned clockwise.

The lower edge of the back of the magazine terminates somewhat above the periphcry of the delivery device to afford an opening deeper than the greatest width of the ioo' ' wardly .article an a manner with a series of independently movable fingers 39 that are so disposed as to flank the ,paths of the respective projections 37 and rest upon or near the upper flat surface of,

the device, opening, and escape therethrough of the lowermost article, but when the device is turned in a clockwise direction, the upper im vlling shoulder 38 thereof bears against t e op sing'article and forces it rearwardly an against the fingers, which fingers by their elasticity initially press the article against thev shoulder. As such article is being forcibly advanced by the shoulder, the fingers are swung outwardly and are caused to ride yieldingly upon the top of the advancin to maintain it seated squarely upon the flat surface of the delivery device until the magazine. Thereupon the fingers, resuming their normal position, prevent the escape of each succeeding article from the magazine until such time as the latter shall be engaged and acted upon by the next following impelling shoulder. i i

A guide late 41 is spaced slightly from the rear 0 the spring-guarded discharge opening of the magazine and is curved downand forwardly to the bottom of the opening 19 in the door'of the casing. This p ate is .so disposed in relation tothe pathof the delivery device that when an article is ejected from the magazine the article encounters the curved surface of the late and is all downward thereby unti it escapes from the action of the impelling shoulder, whereupon such article falls the fingers 39 bar the discharge deliver upon the lower part of the plate and'is dishaft 33 of the delive casing.

ispreferably rected forwardly thereby to the discharge opening.

In the present instance one end of the device is rotatably mounted in a sleeve orab 43 having. a stud 33' which is journaled in and pro'ects out- .wardly of one of the other side w of the The outer end of the stud 33' is equipped with a suitable knob or handle44, and t e inner end of the hub has formed on or fixed thereto a disk 45 having two diametrically opposite ripheral recesses 46. which are each she to receive the greater portion of a coin. on theshaft 33, in close proximity to the face of the coin disk 45, is a ratchet wheel 47 which provides a side wall for he respective coin receiv' The disk and wheel are inde and through ently each other, and to this end the-ratchet wheel rovided with an arcuate slot 48 through w ,"ch extendsa stud 49 from.

thus prevent the accidentalthe end of the arcuate slot of the ratchet the article is discharged from.

article-engagmg position, 1. e.', forwar.d

rotatable within limits relativ y tothe coin disk; and a spring 50, which is secured to the stud and to the ratchet wheel, maintains the disk and wheel normally in a position with the stud at the trailing end of the slot. The tension of the spring connection between the coin disk'and the ratchet wheel is such that during the clockwise rotation of the knob 44 the sprin permits an initial advance movement of t e coin disk, whereupon the stud 49 bears firmly against tion between the disk and ratchet mem ers.

When the turning force on the knob is released the spring returns the coin disk to its normal or retracted position in relation to the ratchet wheel.

A coin chute 51 is suitably sup orted within the casing so as to overhang t e coin disk, the upper end of the chute being formed and arrangedv to register with a com. slot 20 in the closed door of the magazine. The outer or right hand wall of the chute is extended downwardly in close relation to the adjacent side of the coin disk, the free end of the leg 51 thus formed being bifurcated to embrace a circumferential groove in-the hub 43 and prevents lateral displacement of the chute re ative to the coindisk. The chute leg thus being maintained in close parallel re a tion to the coin disk afiords an'eflicient rected bythe chute. The lower rearward edge of the chute is cut awa as at 52, to permlt the free passage of t lip-projectmg portion of the coin when the com disk is partially rotated by proper manipulation of the knob 44.

two diametrically opposite peripheral spaces 54 one adj want each socket and in such relation thereto that when an impelling shoulder jacent its of is in subof the delivery device is-located the magazine, the upper socket tantial vertical isarmis near its pivotal end, forwardly ofe proxi- The ratchet wheel is not only provided' with inclined back-stop teeth 53,-but also ,With

alinement with the throat'of thechutc; The'ends of each space 54 pro- I plawl arm 58 which rear-. 1 v -w'ard1y and '05 laterall of the 'tion of r the upper coin socket. rovided mate com socket, with an inwardly extend- P p positioned 56 at the respective ends ofthespace thus stud" 59 that drops normally: into space 54 when the latter is beneath the stud, the stops 55,

" 40 55 to pass beyond the overhan 55 as previously described. During the preventing forward or backward movement of the delivery device. The pawlarm is also provided, adjacent the rear open edge of the chute, with an inwardly extending a trip stud 60 which overhangs but does not engage the coin disk, and which stud crosses the rearward path of the upper portion of a coin contained in the upper socket.

By the mechanism just described it will be seen that when the delivery device is turned in a clockwise direction by the manipulation of the knob 44, the stud 59 rides on the ratchet teeth until the leading space 54 passes beneath the stud, whereupon the latter drops into such space and is engaged I by the opposing stop 55, which stop positively checks the continued rotation of the delivery device, the upper socket of the coin disk then being directly beneath the throat of the coin chute. Thereupon, as the knob is turned, the coin disk is independently advanced withinthe limits of the slot 48 of the ratchet wheel and against the action ofthe spring 50. If .the knob now be released the spring will retractthe coin disk to position the upper coin socket thereof beneath the coin chute, so that if a coin be inserted in the coin slot 20 such'coin will drop directly into the socket. Thereupon the act of turning the knob will again move the coin disk against the action of the spring and press the coin against and under the trip stud 60, thereby raising the stud, together with the pawl arm, in a manner to lift the stop stud above and clear of the stop of theratchet wheel. The instant the ratchet wheel is thus released the tensioned spring slightly advances the wheel and the delivery device, thereby. causing the proximate stop 'ng stop stud .59 of the pawl arm", and as t e manual rotation of the knob is continued the coin is carried beyond the trip stud and discharged from the socket. As the coin-passes 45 below and beyond the trip stud the pawl arm drops by gravity (being preferably provided with a weight 61 or its equivalent), L the stop-stud 59 thus riding on the periphery of the ratchet wheel. Continuin the man- 50 ual movement of the knob, the elivery device is turned sufficiently to efl'ect the discharge of the lowermost article from the magazine b the impingement thereazgainst of the impe ling shoulder of the said evice,

ejecting action, owing to the counter-actin force incident thereto, the coin-disk is in ependently advanced within the limits of the slot 48 of the ratchet wheel and against the action of the spring 50, the stud 40 thus bearing firmly against the opposing end ofthe slot. and the knob released the. spring 50 retracts the coin disk to its normal position relatively to the ratchet wheel.

When the article has been discharged In the continued rotation of the delivery device, after the coin has passed the trip stud of the pawl arm, the stop-stud 59 rides idly upon the toothed periphery of the ratchet disk, but if an attempt be made to turn the device backward the stud 59 will at once engage a back-stop tooth 53 adjacent thereto and prevent the retrograde movement. Immediately after the coin has passed the trip stud, as previously mentioned, the coin escapes from the socket and drops into the coin compartment. The flat surfaces of the delivery device are so arranged in cooperative relation to the associated ratchet wheel and 'coin disk, that the coin is discharged from the coin socket just at or immediately before the engagement of the impelling shoulder of the device with the opposing article in the magazine.

When the delivery device has been rotated a sufficient distance to position the second coin socketv at the top, the stop stud 59 of the pawl arm, resuming its original position, enters the second space 54 of the ratchet wheel and co-operates with the end stops of such space to prevent a succeeding operative rotation of the delivery device unless and until acoin be introduced into the now upper coin socket. If atany time the coin disk and delivery device should not be r0- tated sufiiciently to present the upper coin socket to the coin chute after an article has been ejected, a coin subsequently introduced into the chute will nevertheless enter the socket when the latter is properly positioned during the succeeding rotation of the coin disk.

I-claim- 1. In a vending machine, the combination of a delivery device, a rotary operating element including a coin receiving member, a ratchet wheel connectedwith the said device laterally of the coin member, a pawl engaging the ratchet wheel and having a trip member overhanging the coinmember, a connection between the coin member and the ratchet wheel whereby the coin member is capable of limited rotary movement relatively to the ratchet wheel, said connection including resilient means for maintaining the coin member normally retracted in respect to the ratchet wheel, means for directing a coin to the path of the coin receiving member and inter-engaging means between the coin receiving member and the coin directing means for preventing lateral displacement of the one relative to the other.

2. In coincontrolledmechanism for vending machines, eluding a peripherallv socketed coin disk a rotary operating element in having a hub portion with a circumfereni tial disk, a ratchet wheel at the other face of the disk, a connection between the coin disk and the ratchet wheel whereby the com disk groove therein adjacent one face of the is capable of limited rotar movement relatively to the ratchet whee, said connection including resilient means for maintaining the coin disk in a normallv retracted position, and a coin chute leading to the eriphery of the coin disk and having a leg depending adjacent the side of the coin disk opposite to the ratchet wheel and registering with the groove of the hub.

3. In' a coin-controlled mechanism for vending machines, a rotary operating e1e-.

ment including a socketed coin receiver;-, a coin chute leading to the coin receiver, and inter-enga 'ng means between the coin receiver an the coin chute for preventing 1 lateral displacement of the one relative to the other.

Signed at New York in the county and State of New York this 22d day of April A. D. 1925.

JOHN R. NOLAN. 

